Process of treating textile materials.



' strands are formed, and each strand sub-..

v No Drawing.

RAYMON D B. PRICE, OF MISHAWAKA, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR T0 RUBBER RTE-GENERATING COMPANY, A. CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

PROCESS OF TREATING TEXTILE MATERIALS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RAYMOND B. PRICE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mishawa'ka, in the county of St. Joseph, State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Processes of Treating Textile Materials, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the treatment of textile material such as is used in the production of threads for after use in producing woven fabric, which threads may be also used alone or in the production of thickened-threads or cables, and has for its object to I provide an improved method of either initially treating the material, or treating it at some stage in the manufacture of the article to be produced, or both.

In attempting to impregnate woven, braided, knitted or felted fabrics by either the usual frictioning method or by application of paste or solution it has been found that where the threads or fibers come in contact with each other there is substantially no penetration or permeation by the plastic material, and it is this difficulty that my present invention in part is intended to overcome.

In the manufacture of twisted threads it is feasible to begin at the very first step, that is to say, to treat the mater1al, such as cotton, before it receives its initial twist to form it into a strand, which, together with other strands, is to be used in' forming a thread. Thus, the cotton may have applied thereto a. proper proportion of strengthening or binding material, such asrubber, preferably in the form ofrubber cement or paste, and then be twisted to form a strand. Or the material may .be taken after the jected to this operation and then twisted into thread.

In practice it may be found desirable to operate on threads in the first instance, which may be done by untwisting them into their separate strands, then treating said strands separately, and finally retwisting said strands into the thread. In carrying out this process, however, it will be found that the strands produced by untwisting the thread are inherently weak, 1 and it will, therefore, be found highly desirable that the thread itself be given a preliminary treat- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 19116.

I 7 Application filed January 19, 1912. Serial No. 672,261.

ment prior to its being untwisted, which treatment will be found to add materially to the strength of the strands produced by the untwisting of the thread. This step is, of course, followed by the separate treatment of the strands and then retwisting them into the threads.

I also contemplate, if desired, that the threads so formed of the impregnated strands may be themselves treated, though this step may not be necessary.

It w1ll be found that threads formed of strands treated as above described will be. as to their tensile resistance materially strengthened. Ordinarily, textile material is governed as to its strength by the length of staple of its component fibers and their relative interlocking or twist, and the present process of treatment renders them comparativelyindependent of both of those factors.

It will frequently be found desirable that the strands before twisting or the thread produced by the twisted strands be also treated to relieve them of their sticky characteristics, due to the application of the rubber. I contemplate employing for this purpose any substance capable of being ab-' sorbed by the rubber, or any substance capable of being dissolved or otherwise re moved, such as powdered rosin, shellac, and the like. When rosin is used the same will be absorbed during vulcanization, while with shellac the same would be preferably dissolved prior to vulcanization. A thin coat of balata will also be found to be efi- .cacious. Bysuch treatment the threads may be in some cases more readily employed sep- -arately,'particularly in connection with rubher, or they may be woven, knit or braided into a suitable fabric of any desired character, or a number of said threads may be twisted to form an enlarged thread or cable.

I have found that the strands, or even cement dries the naphtha will have diffused out and been replaced by air. This action occurs even When-fluid pressure is used to drive the cement in the fibers, and it is my aim to overcome the same. This I may do by subjecting the material after it has been treated with the rubber solution or paste to the action of a fixed pressure, as by means of rolls. In carrying out this step, ll prefer to dry the material after the application of the cement when that is used, and then subject it to the rolls. With paste this drying step is not usually necessary. Furthermore, the pressure rolls employed may, if desired, be operated in a vacuum, or a vacuum chamber .may be disposed immediately in front of said rolls, through which the material will pass just before it reaches said rolls. Also, said rolls may be heated to assist the rubber in sealing the ducts of the fiber when fiattened by the fixed pressure of said rolls. A somewhat similar result will be obtained by heating the material itself before subjecting it to the rolls; I may also dispense with the rolls, and first pass the material through a vacuum, then treat it with a rubber paste capable of filling or sealing theair ducts of the fibers, and in this bperation heat may be employed at will. I also contemplate any combination or modification of these two processes.

It will be obvious that the advantage attained is the practical elimination of air, gas or volatile matter from the ducts of the fibers, thus obviating the expansion of any air, gas, etc, during the vulcanizing operation, which expansion would tend to'prevent satisfactory adhesion between the rubber and the fibers.

It may be found advantageous to apply to the material being treated one or more sup-. plemental coatings immediately after the squeezing operation by the rolls, said coating or coatings being of either the samesubstance previously used or some other substance, as desired, and such supplemental coating or coatings may also be employed where paste is use I also contemplate combining the coating with the pressure feature, by employing as a coating material a paste,

v such as heated rubber, fluxed or not, as derial with a a salt, glycerin melted sulfur, tar, and the terfere with the adhesion of the rubber.

sired, and by passing through this the material to be treated while said paste.is subected to pressure of any desired degree. Qbviousl this step may be preceded by subecting t e material to a vacuum as hereinbefore described. The aste, being more homogeneous than a rubbersolution, gives less opportunit for final filling of the ducts of the fiber with air or other gas. I also contemplate previously treating the mateenetrating substance, such as hke, which w' displace from the air ducts in the fiber an volatile matter, e ansive gas, and the e, which under the eat of vulcamzation would tend toexpand and intwisting said strands into threads.

2. The process of treating textile material,

which consists in treating a formed thread with a strengthening or binding medium, untwisting said thread into its separate strands, treating said strands 'with a strengthening or binding medium, retwisting said strands into threads, and treating said threads with a strengthening or binding medium.

3. The process of treating textile material.

which consists in treating a formed threa with a strengthening or binding medium, untwisting the thread into its separate strands, exhausting, and treating said strands with a strengthening or binding medium, and retwisting said strands into threads.

4. The process of treating textile material,

which consists in treatinga formed. thread I with a strengthening or binding medium,

untwisting the thread into vits separate strands, exhausting, and treating said strands with a strengthening or binding medium, retwisting said strands into threads, and treating said threads with a strengthening or binding medium.

5. The process of treating textile material, which consists in treating a formed thread with a strenghening or binding medium, untwisting t e thread into its separate strands, treating said strands; with a strengthening or binding medium, subjecting said strands to the action of a fixed pressure, and retwisting said strands into threads.

6. The process of treating textile material I which consists in treating a formed threa with a strengthening or binding medium, untwisting t e thread into its strands, treating said strands with a strengthening or binding -medium,'.s'ubjecting said strands to the action of a'vacuum arate and a fixed pressure, and retwisting' said strands into threads.

7. The process of treating textile material which consists in treating a formed threa with a strengthening. 'or binding medium,

untwisting the thread into its separate 3t) strengthening or binding medium, and restrands, treating said strands with a strengthening or binding medium, sub'ecting said strands to the action of a xed pressurein the'presence of heat, and retWisting said strands into threads.

8. The process of treating textile material which consists in treating a formed three with a strengthening or binding medium,

7 untwisting the thread into its separate strands, treating said strands with a strengthening or binding medium, subecting said strands to the action of a 1|; ed pressure, retwisting said strands into threads, and treating said threads with an air excluding medium.

9. The process of treating textile material which consists in treating a formed thread With a strengthening or binding medium,

untwisting the thread into its se arate strands, treating said strands with a strengthening or binding medium, appl ing to the strands a coating of an anti-stick medium of such nature as not to materially afiect the quality or nature of the strengthening or binding medium, and retwisting saidstrands into threads. t

10. The process of treating textile material, which consists in treatin a formed thread With a strengthening or inding inedium, untwisting the thread into its separate strands, treating said strands with a strengthenin or binding medium, appl ing to the stran s a coating of an anti-stlc ing medium capable of being subsequently absorbed or removed, and retwisting said strands into threads.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. RAYMUND B. PRICE.

; Witnesses: t

A. M. Drsen,

Hanna Gram, 

